Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Pellston Workshop
Advancing the Adverse Outcome Pathway Concept: An International Horizon
Scanning Approach
A Pellston Workshop that focused on advancing the adverse outcome pathway framework was held in April 2017 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and co-chaired by Dr. Carlie LaLone, (US Environmental Protection Agency) and Dr. Markus Hecker (University of Saskatchewan). This workshop involved thirty-eight cross-sector participants from North America, Europe, and Asia, including 4 post-doctoral fellows and one graduate student.
Since the original publication on the adverse outcome
pathway (AOP) concept (Ankley et al. 2010 Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry, 29(3):730-741), the framework has matured
significantly and has increasingly been recognized as a powerful approach for
organizing pathway information in a format applicable for regulatory decision-making.
With increasing interest in and uptake of the AOP framework, a need was
identified to engage the global scientific and regulatory communities in
identifying future directions for the framework. Therefore, as
a means to reach beyond current stakeholders, the SETAC Pellston
Workshop was initiated and developed based on input collected from a global Horizon Scanning exercise, where a
survey asked participants to propose questions that identify key outstanding
challenges or limitations that must be addressed in order to realize the full
potential of the AOP framework in research and regulatory decision-making
.
The Horizon Scanning exercise led to the collection of 340 valid questions that were subjected to an expert ranking exercise conducted by the steering committee (13 members) of the Pellston Workshop. A description of the Horizon Scanning approach and expert ranking exercise can be found in a recently published ET&C Focus Topic Article (LaLone et al., 2017 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 36(6):1411-1421). This expert ranking exercise resulted in the identification of four core themes that were addressed during the Pellston Workshop:
1) AOP networks and their applications
2) Quantitative AOPs and their applications
3) Regulatory use of the AOP framework
4) Roadmap to expand awareness of, involvement in, and application of the AOP framework and AOP knowledgebase in the broader scientific and regulatory/environmental policy communities
Manuscripts are being developed from discussions held at the Pellston Workshop that focus on addressing these core themes.
Below are the authors and titles of papers to be submitted as products of the Workshop (Note: three have been accepted for publication or published):
1. Knapen, D., Angrish, M., Fortin, M., Katsiadaki, I., Leonard, M., Margiotta-Casaluci, L., Munn, S., O’Brien, J., Pollesch, N., Smith, C., Zhang, X., and Villeneuve D. L. (2018) Adverse Outcome Pathway Networks I: Development and Applications. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Accepted. DOI: 10.1002/etc.4125
2. Villeneuve D. L., Angrish, M., Fortin, M., Katsiadaki, I., Leonard, M., Margiotta-Casaluci, L., Munn, S., O’Brien, J., Pollesch, N., Smith, C., Zhang, X., and Knapen, D. (2018) Adverse Outcome Pathway Networks II: Network Analytics. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Accepted. DOI: 10.1002/etc.4124
3. Carusi, A., Davies, M.R., De Grandis, G., Escher, B.I., Hodges, G., Leung, K.M.Y., Whelan, M., Willett, C., and Ankley G.T. (2018) Harvesting the promise of AOPs: An assessment and recommendations. Science of the Total Environment 628, 1542-1556. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.015
4. Hecker, M. and LaLone C.A. Adverse Outcome Pathways: Moving from a scientific concept to a globally accepted framework
5. Perkins
E.J., Ashauer, R., Conolly, R., Landesmann, B.,
Mackay, C., Murphy, C., Pollesch, N., Wheeler, J.R., Zupanic,
A., Scholz, S. Building and Applying Quantitative Adverse Outcome Pathway
Models for Chemical Hazard and Risk Assessment
6. Browne,
P., Coady, K., Embry, M., Hill, T., Leinala, E.,
Steeger, T., Wijkhuizen-Maslankiewicz, L., and
Hutchinson, T. Application of Adverse Outcome Pathways in Various Stages of
Chemicals Management, including Innovation, Registration, and Stewardship.
In conclusion, the SETAC Pellston Workshop Advancing the
Adverse Outcome Pathway Concept: An International Horizon Scanning Approach
successfully collected and addressed questions from the global community that
were used to establish a road-map to guide future research and regulatory
initiatives, identified global issues and key uncertainties regarding the
applicability and readiness of the AOP concept to address current regulatory
and scientific needs.
Workshop Participants:
Theme (Workgroup) 1:
Adverse outcome pathway networks and their applications
Name |
Sector |
Location |
Dries Knapen (leader) |
Academia |
Belgium |
Dan Villeneuve
(leader) |
Government |
US |
Sharon Munn |
Government |
EU |
Xiaowei Zhang |
Academia |
China |
Jason O'Brien |
Government |
Canada |
Ioanna Katsiadaki |
Government |
UK |
Luigi Margiotta-Casaluci |
Academia |
UK |
Marc Leonard |
Industry |
France |
Marie Fortin |
Industry |
US |
Michelle Angrish |
Postdoc |
US |
L. Cody Smith |
Grad Student |
US |
Theme (Workgroup) 2:
Quantitative adverse outcome pathways and their applications
Name |
Sector |
Location |
Stefan Scholz (leader) |
Academia |
EU |
Ed Perkins (leader) |
Government |
US |
Cameron Mackay |
Industry |
UK |
Cheryl Murphy |
Academia |
US |
Anze Zupanic |
Academia |
Switzerland |
Brigitte Landesmann |
Government |
EU |
Rory Conolly |
Government |
US |
James Wheeler |
Industry |
UK |
Roman Ashauer |
Academia |
UK |
Nathan Pollesch |
Postdoc |
US |
Theme (Workgroup) 3:
Regulatory use of the adverse outcome pathway framework
Name |
Sector |
Location |
Katie Coady (leader) |
Industry |
US |
Patience Browne
(leader) |
OECD |
EU |
Michelle Embry |
Industry |
US |
Tom Steeger |
Government |
US |
Lidka Wijkhuizen-Maslankiewicz |
Government |
EU |
Eeva Leinala |
OECD |
EU |
Tom Hutchinson |
Academia |
UK |
Thomas Hill |
Postdoc |
US |
Theme (Workgroup) 4: Roadmap to
expand awareness of, involvement in, and application of the AOP framework and
AOP knowledgebase in the broader scientific and regulatory/environmental policy
communities
Name |
Sector |
Location |
Annamaria Carusi
(leader) |
Academia |
UK |
Gary Ankley (leader) |
Government |
US |
Maurice Whelan |
Government |
EU |
Kate Willett |
NGO |
US |
Geoff Hodges |
Industry |
UK |
Kenny Leung |
Academia |
Hong Kong |
Beate Escher |
Academia |
EU |
Mark Davies |
Industry |
UK |
Giovanni De Grandis |
Postdoc |
EU |
For more information, contact Pellston workshop co-chairs Dr. Markus Hecker, markus.hecker@usask.ca, or Dr. Carlie LaLone, lalone.carlie@epa.gov